Lloyd’s Inn Singapore Hotel Review

11. May 2016

The Llyod’s Inn offers travellers more than just a bed for the night: it is an oasis of tranquillity with a touch of nature, in the heart of Singapore’s urban cityscape.

Upon first impression of the Lloyds Inn I have to admit I felt a bit underwhelmed. The hotel is marketed as a boutique hotel, however it lacks some of the most essential elements of a boutique hotel such as a breakfast room and a reception area for guests to wait in. However, I did find my stay at the hotel pleasant and enjoyable for the most part and fell in love with their design concept. Furthermore, before my arrival, the hotel staff was very responsive to my emails and very helpful.

The location is definitely a bonus: situated in a lovely residential area within walking distance (10 minutes) of several restaurants, it is minutes away from Orchard road. And in the heart of the city, you will find yourself in this green oasis with a garden and dipping pool area offering a tranquil place to relax and enjoy the sun.

The ‘oasis in the middle of the city’ is also reflected in the room concept: there are 8 unique types of rooms, each capturing the relationship with nature in different ways. The showers have an open concept such that one can enjoy the outdoors and plants, yet within security and privacy of one’s room. I do have to admit I was a bit scared of using the outdoor showers at first, because of the fact of being in a tropical city and that I am terrified of lizards. Fortunately I did not have any reptile encounter 🙂 The room I stayed in was a duplex with minimalist design, high ceilings, a lot of light and plenty of space. Furthermore, the overall design of the hotel is really wonderful.

The only significant issue I had during my stay was that when the booking was made, it included breakfast. This sounds good in principal, but not in practice I’m afraid. I landed at 5:00 am and arrived at the hotel by 6:00 am during a thunderstorm and was told by the receptionist that my room would only be available by 3:00 pm and that if a room was available earlier I would be told (this is in line with hotel policy and was stated on the booking confirmation so no issues there).

Where I take issue was the lack of a breakfast room. Coming off a red eye flight and landing that early in the morning, it is not unrealistic to expect that a hotel booking, which included breakfast, would have a place where I could sit down and get a coffee. However, I soon found out that I needed to walk outside to a local eatery in a thunderstorm to get something to eat. While I have no issues with hotels partnering with local establishments, I do take issue, quite strongly I might add, at being told at 6:00 am to walk in a thunderstorm for 10 minutes to get something that I have already paid for. Additionally, I did find it misleading that the room rate included breakfast, implying that it was situated on the hotel premises like most other hotels. As I found out, this was not the case.

Furthermore, I later found out that the vouchers issued by the hotel had 2 options: 1) at a local Singaporean restaurant, and 2) one at a café where I needed to pay an additional SGD 7 for a coffee and croissant. So only one of the options resulted in a breakfast that was included in the room rate.

A minor problem I had during my stay at the Lloyd’s Inn was the state of the irons provided by the hotel. This particular one resulted in damage to one of my shirts when I tried to use the steam function. Fortunately for the hotel, the shirt was inexpensive and not worth kicking up a huge fuss over. However, it could have very easily been something expensive.

Overall, I my stay was enjoyable. I would suggest the Lloyd’s Inn to travelers who look for a different experience and a nice alternative to the big hotel names. It caters to guests who want to spend the majority of their time outside of the hotel with the optionality to enjoying some of the amenities provided. Room rates start from SGD 160 (plus 10% service charge and 7% prevailing government taxes).

A last thing to highlight is that guests who book directly via the hotel website are entitled to a ‘spin-the-wheel promo’, with a sure-win gift (which includes discounts, upgrades, and coming soon, Lloyd‘s tote bag). According to the hotel, it does not cost more to book direct.